Following the launch of the joint project on World Heritage natural sites and cultural landscapes in South-Eastern Europe at the symposium held from 16-18 October 2006 in Osnabrück, Germany, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development, and the Istituto Superiore sui Sistemi Territoriali per l'Innovazione are organizing the first training workshop which will take place inCinque Terre National Park (Italy) from 18-20 April 2007.

Funded by the German Environmental Foundation (DBU) and Fondazione per l'Arte and in partnership with the Istituto Superiore sui Sistemi Territoriali per l'Innovazione (SiTI), this workshop series has been set up to enhance management capacities at natural World Heritage sites and cultural landscapes in South-Eastern Europe and Italy by bringing together international World Heritage experts and site managers from South-Eastern European States Parties as well as from Italy.

This first training workshop will focus on the topic of "Managing World Heritage cultural landscapes", by using the World Heritage site of Cinque Terre as an example and learning ground for hands-on conservation. The 3-day workshop will provide a platform for discussing experiences, challenges and necessary actions to ensure the continuous conservation of current and potential sites in the region.